Hepatoprotective effects of lycopene against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute liver injury in rats

Deferiprone-resveratrol hybrid attenuates iron accumulation, oxidative stress, and antioxidant defenses in iron-loaded human Huh7 hepatic cells

Chronic liver diseases are complications of thalassemia with iron overload. Iron chelators are required to remove excessive iron, and antioxidants are supplemented to diminish harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS), purposing to ameliorate oxidative liver damage and dysfunctions. The deferiprone-resveratrol hybrid (DFP-RVT) is a synthetic iron chelator possessing anti-β-amyloid peptide aggregation, anti-malarial activity, and hepatoprotection in plasmodium-infected mice. The study focuses on investigating the antioxidant, cytotoxicity, iron-chelating, anti-lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant defense properties of DFP-RVT in iron-loaded human hepatocellular carcinoma (Huh7) cells. In the findings, DFP-RVT dose dependently bound Fe(II) and Fe(III) and exerted stronger ABTS•- and DPPH•-scavenging (IC50 = 8.0 and 164 μM, respectively) and anti-RBC hemolytic activities (IC50 = 640 μM) than DFP but weaker than RVT (p < 0.01). DFP-RVT was neither toxic to Huh7 cells nor PBMCs. In addition, DFP-RVT diminished the level of redox-active iron (p < 0.01) and decreased the non-heme iron content (p < 0.01) in iron-loaded Huh7 cells effectively when compared without treatment in the order of DFP-RVT > RVT ∼ DFP treatments (50 µM each). Moreover, the compound decreased levels of hepatic ROS in a dose-dependent manner and the level of malondialdehyde, which was stronger than DFP but weaker than RVT. Furthermore, DFP-RVT restored the decrease in the GSH content and GPX and SOD activities (p < 0.01) in iron-loaded Huh7 cells in the dose-dependent manner, consistently in the order of RVT > DFP-RVT > DFP. Thus, the DFP-RVT hybrid possesses potent iron chelation, antioxidation, anti-lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant defense against oxidative liver damage under iron overload.

Lycopene attenuates chlorpyrifos-induced hepatotoxicity in rats via activation of Nrf2/HO-1 axis

Chlorpyrifos (CPF), is an organophosphate pesticide that is widely used for agricultural purposes. However, it has well-documented hepatotoxicity. Lycopene (LCP) is a plant-derived carotenoid with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. The present work was designed to evaluate the potential hepatoprotective actions of LCP against CPF-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Animals were assigned into five groups namely: Group I (Control), Group II (LCP), Group III (CPF), Group IV (CPF + LCP 5 mg/kg), and Group V (CPF + LCP 10 mg/kg). LCP offered protection as evidenced by inhibiting the rise in serum activities of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) induced by CPF. This was confirmed histologically as LCP-treated animals showed liver tissues with less proliferation of bile ducts and periductal fibrosis. LCP significantly prevented the rise in hepatic content of malondialdehyde (MDA), depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH), and exhaustion of glutathione-s-transferase (GST) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Further, LCP significantly prevented hepatocyte death as it ameliorated the increase in Bax and the decrease in Bcl-2 expression induced by CPF in liver tissues as determined immunohistochemically. The observed protective effects of LCP were further confirmed by a significant enhancement in heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression. In conclusion, LCP possesses protective effects against CPF-induced hepatotoxicity. These include antioxidation and activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 axis.

Elaeagnus umbellata: A miraculous shrub with potent health-promoting benefits from Northwest Himalaya

Medicinal plants encompassing a series of bioactive compounds have gained significant importance for use in the treatment of different diseases. Of them, Elaeagnus umbellata Thunb. (Deciduous shrub found in dappled shade, and sunny hedge) exhibits high medicinal value, with a widespread distribution across the Pir Panjal region of the Himalayas. Fruits serve as an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and other essential compounds that exhibits hypolipidemic, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective effects. The phytochemical fingerprint of berries revealed them to have a high content of polyphenols (with major proportion of anthocyanins), followed by monoterpenes and vitamin C. Extract of fruits help in regulating the digestion and absorption of glucose and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress. The phytosterols upholding anticoagulant activity serve the purpose of causing decrease in angina and the blood cholesterol levels. Phytochemicals such as eugenol, palmitic acid, and methyl palmitate exhibit potent antibacterial activity against broad range of disease-causing agents. Additionally, a high percentage of essential oils attribute it with the property of being effective against heart ailments. The present study highlights the importance of E. umbellata in traditional medicinal practices, and summarizes the knowledge of its bioactive constituents and a snapshot vision of remarkable biological activities like antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, etc towards understanding its role in the development of efficient drug regimens for use in the treatment of different diseases. It also underlines the need to explore the plant on nutritional aspects to strengthen the existing knowledge pertaining to health promoting potential of E. umbellata.

Citrus Honey Ameliorates Liver Disease and Restores Gut Microbiota in Alcohol-Feeding Mice

Citrus honey (CH) is rich in nutrients that have a wide variety of biological functions, such as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities, and which demonstrate therapeutic properties, such as anti-cancer and wound-healing abilities. However, the effects of CH on alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) and the intestinal microbiota remain unknown. This study aimed to determine the alleviating effects of CH on ALD and its regulatory effects on the gut microbiota in mice. In total, 26 metabolites were identified and quantified in CH, and the results suggested that the primary metabolites were abscisic acid, 3,4-dimethoxycinnamic acid, rutin, and two markers of CH, hesperetin and hesperidin. CH lowered the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, glutamate aminotransferase, and alcohol-induced hepatic edema. CH could promote the proliferation of Bacteroidetes while reducing the abundance of Firmicutes. Additionally, CH also showed some inhibitory effects on the growth of Campylobacterota and Turicibacter. CH enhanced the secretion of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), such as acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, and valeric acid. Given its alleviating functions in liver tissue damage and its regulatory effects on the gut microbiota and SCFAs, CH could be a promising candidate for the therapeutic treatment of ALD.

Protective Effect of Lycopene against Reperfusion Injury in Rats with Ovarian Torsion: A Biochemical and Histopathological Evaluation

Objective  The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of two different doses of lycopene, an antioxidant, on experimentally induced ovarian ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury in rat model.

Materials and Methods  Twenty-four female rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation (group 1), 3-hour ischemia, 3-hour reperfusion (IR) (group 2), and IR + 100 mg/kg lycopene (PO) (group 3), IR + 200 mg/kg of lycopene (group 4). The rats’ superoxide dismutase (SOD), myeloperoxidase (MPO) activities, malondialdehyde (MDA), and glutathione (GSH) levels were calculated. Ovarian tissue damage was assessed using a histopathological scoring system.

Results  Serum parameter levels and histological scores showed that treatment with lycopene may be conservative approach to prevent IR injury after the ovarian detorsion procedure.The improvement with lycopene was higher at 200 mg than at 100 mg. The MPO and MDA values were significantly lower in groups 3 and 4 as compared with group 2 ( p < 0.05), whereas the MPO and MDA values were lower in group 4 as compared with group 3.The SOD and GSH values were significantly higher in groups 3 and 4 as compared with group 2 ( p < 0.05), whereas the SOD and GSH values were higher in group 4 as compared with group 3.Tissue damage scores were elevated in the IR group compared with the sham group, but the treatment with different lycopene doses after reperfusion improved the histopathological tissue damage scores.

Conclusion  The results showed that lycopene treatment reduced ovarian IR damage. Antioxidant activity was found to increase in a dose-dependent manner. Lycopene treatment may be conservative approach for ovarian torsion patients after the detorsion procedure to prevent IR damage.

Effects of hesperidin on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune responses and disease resistance of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

We evaluated the effects of hesperidin on the nonspecific immunity, antioxidant capacity and growth performance of red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii). A total of 900 healthy crayfish were randomly divided into six groups: the control group (fed the basal diet) and the HES25, HES50, HES75, HES100 and HES150 groups, which were fed the basal diet supplemented with 25, 50, 75, 100 and 150 mg kg^-1 hesperidin, respectively. The feeding experiment lasted 8 weeks. The results indicated that compared with the control group, the crayfish groups supplemented with 50-150 mg kg^-1 hesperidin had a decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR) and increased final body weight (FBW), specific growth rate (SGR) and weight gain (WG) (P < 0.05). The protein carbonyl content (PCC), reactive oxygen species (ROS) level and malondialdehyde (MDA) level in the hepatopancreas and hemocytes were significantly lower, while the total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were significantly higher in the crayfish groups supplemented with 50-150 mg kg^-1 hesperidin than in the control group. Supplementation with 50-150 mg kg^-1 hesperidin significantly increased the activities of acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), lysozyme (LZM), and phenoloxidase (PO) compared with the control group (P < 0.05); upregulated the mRNA expression of cyclophilin A (CypA), extracellular copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (ecCuZnSOD), GPxs, crustin, astacidin, Toll3 and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) (P < 0.05); and decreased crayfish mortality following white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection. These findings indicate that dietary hesperidin supplementation at an optimum dose of 50-150 mg kg^-1 may effectively improve nonspecific immunity, antioxidant capacity and growth performance in crayfish.

Protective effect of lycopene against chemical and natural toxins: A review

People are exposed to a number of environmental, occupational, and therapeutic toxic agents which may be natural or man made. These hazardous substances may manifest as direct side effects on the function of organs or indirectly induced alteration of gene expression, cancer-associated metabolic pathways, and/or alter homeostasis. Lycopene, as a one of the most potent antioxidant, is found in fruits and vegetables. High-intake of lycopene has been shown to be effective in decreasing the risk of both natural toxins including mycotoxins, bacterial toxins, and chemical toxins including heavy metals, pesticides as well as herbicides. Recently, there is growing attention in understanding the mechanisms of the phytochemicals and carotenoids as antioxidative, antiapoptotic, radical scavenging, and chelating agents and their roles in the modulation of inflammatory pathways. This review summarizes available data from several recent studies about lycopene and its role against chemical and natural toxicants. © 2018 BioFactors, 45(1):5-23, 2019.

Lycopene-rich extract from red guava (Psidium guajava L.) displays cytotoxic effect against human breast adenocarcinoma cell line MCF-7 via an apoptotic-like pathway

This study investigated a lycopene-rich extract from red guava (LEG) for its chemical composition using spectrophotometry, mass spectrometry, attenuated total reflectance-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), and computational studies. The cytotoxic activity of LEG and the underlying mechanism was studied in human breast adenocarcinoma cells (MCF-7), murine fibroblast cells (NIH-3T3), BALB/c murine peritoneal macrophages, and sheep blood erythrocytes by evaluating the cell viability with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method and flow cytometry. Spectrophotometry analysis showed that LEG contained 20% of lycopene per extract dry weight. Experimental and theoretical ATR-FTIR suggests the presence of lycopene, whereas MS/MS spectra obtained after fragmentation of the molecular ion [M]+• of 536.4364 show fragment ions at m/z 269.2259, 375.3034, 444.3788, and 467.3658, corroborating the presence of lycopene mostly related to all-trans configuration. Treatment with LEG (1600 to 6.25μg/mL) for 24 and 72h significantly affected the viability of MCF-7 cells (mean half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50]=29.85 and 5.964μg/mL, respectively) but not NIH-3T3 cells (IC50=1579 and 911.5μg/mL, respectively). Furthermore LEG at concentrations from 800 to 6.25μg/mL presented low cytotoxicity against BALB/c peritoneal macrophages (IC50≥800μg/mL) and no hemolytic activity. LEG (400 and 800μg/mL) caused reduction in the cell proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest, DNA fragmentation, modifications in the mitochondrial membrane potential, and morphologic changes related to granularity and size in MCF-7 cells; however, it failed to cause any significant damage to the cell membrane or display necrosis or traditional apoptosis. In conclusion, LEG was able to induce cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells probably via induction of an apoptotic-like pathway.

Chlorogenic acid ameliorates endotoxin-induced liver injury by promoting mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation

Acute or chronic hepatic injury is a common pathology worldwide. Mitochondrial dysfunction and the depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) play important roles in liver injury. Chlorogenic acids (CGA) are some of the most abundant phenolic acids in human diet. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that CGA may protect against chronic lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced liver injury by modulating mitochondrial energy generation. CGA decreased the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase. The contents of ATP and adenosine monophosphate (AMP), as well as the ratio of AMP/ATP, were increased after CGA supplementation. The activities of enzymes that are involved in glycolysis were reduced, while those of enzymes involved in oxidative phosphorylation were increased. Moreover, phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and mRNA levels of AMPK-α, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1α (PGC-1α), nuclear respiratory factor 1, and mitochondrial DNA transcription factor A were increased after CGA supplementation. Collectively, these findings suggest that the hepatoprotective effect of CGA might be associated with enhanced ATP production, the stimulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and the inhibition of glycolysis.

Lycopene attenuates dichlorvos-induced oxidative damage and hepatotoxicity in rats

Because of the widespread use of dichlorvos (DDVP) for domestic applications, evaluation of their toxic effects is of major concern to public health. Lycopene may lower oxidative stress by a mechanism that is not fully elucidated. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the protective efficacy of lycopene in terms of normalization of altered biochemical parameters following DDVP treatment in rats. Animals were divided into four groups. The first group was used as control, while groups 2, 3, and 4 were orally treated with lycopene (10 mg kg−1 body weight (b.w.)), DDVP (1.6 mg kg−1 b.w.), and DDVP plus lycopene, respectively. Results showed that oral administration of DDVP for 30 days increased the levels of lipid peroxidation markers such as malondialdehyde, 4-hydroxynonanal, and protein carbonyl content in liver. Also, a decrease in levels of vitamin C, vitamin E, and reduced glutathione was detected due to DDVP administration. These were accompanied by a decrease in the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione- S-transferase in the liver tissue. Moreover, DDVP increased the activities of serum transaminases, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, and lipoxygenase, and the levels of bilirubin, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and DNA–protein crosslinks, and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, while decreased the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Our results provide new insights into the biochemical studies of relation between DDVP hepatotoxicity and lycopene treatment. Administration of lycopene to DDVP-treated rats reverted the status of hepatic markers to near-normal levels. These data suggest that lycopene can protect against the liver damage induced by DDVP.

β-sitosterol protects against carbon tetrachloride hepatotoxicity but not gentamicin nephrotoxicity in rats via the induction of mitochondrial glutathione redox cycling

Previous findings have demonstrated that β-sitosterol (BSS), an active component of Cistanches Herba, protected against oxidant injury in H9c2 cardiomyocytes and in rat hearts by enhancing mitochondrial glutathione redox cycling, possibly through the intermediacy of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species production. We therefore hypothesized that BSS pretreatment can also confer tissue protection against oxidant injury in other vital organs such as liver and kidney of rats. In this study, the effects of BSS pretreatment on rat models of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) hepatotoxicity and gentamicin nephrotoxicity were investigated. The findings showed that BSS pretreatment protected against CCl4-induced hepatotoxicity, but not gentamicin nephrotoxicity in rats. The hepatoprotection afforded by BSS was associated with the improvement in mitochondrial glutathione redox status, presumably through the glutathione reductase-mediated enhancement in mitochondrial glutathione redox cycling. The hepatoprotection afforded by BSS was also accompanied by the improved mitochondrial functional ability in rat livers. The inability of BSS to protect against gentamicin nephrotoxicity was likely due to the relatively low bioavailability of BSS in rat kidneys. BSS may serve as potential mitohormetic agent for the prevention of oxidative stress-induced injury in livers.